Yesterday, in the lobby of the Ramada Hotel, New Phetchburi Road, Bangkok, there took place what I believe is the largest ever gathering of Dhamma Wheel members. Assembled in the lobby were Dmytro, RobK, Nathan and myself — four persons in all, thus doubling the former world record, set when Ben met Retro and Chris met Ben.

Photographic proof to follow shortly. As soon as Nathan can figure out the workings of his new camera....

Congratulations Ajahn and all!It sounds like a challenge!Retro, Chris and Zavk - pack your bags and book a flight to Launceston!Who else wants to visit Tasmania??Its beautiful in the autumn and there's space in my meditation/shrine room!Metta

Ben

“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.” - Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:in mountain clefts and chasms,loud gush the streamlets,but great rivers flow silently.- Sutta Nipata 3.725

tiltbillings wrote:Love to come to Tasmania, but only I could get see a Quoll and a Devil in the wild.

Also, F.L. Woodward lived in Tasmania.

It can be arranged!Cheers

Ben

“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.” - Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:in mountain clefts and chasms,loud gush the streamlets,but great rivers flow silently.- Sutta Nipata 3.725

Quite possibly, though I was looking forward to the company of my far-flung Dhamma friends!

Certainly with Quinn, he would be a shoe-in! He is, to manipulate that magnificent Bushism, a 'Buddho-fascist'.My wife and I were called in to school a few weeks ago regarding his behaviour. Before Easter he went around destroying his classmate's belief in the Easter Bunny, and attending a church school, told all who listened to him that the story of the resurection of Christ was 'a made up story'. He wasn't content with that and announced he was a Buddhist and that anyone who had an alternative point of view was deluded.He even sidled up to the school's chaplain and said 'So Mr Bartley, How's your invisible friend?'The cheeky boy!The night following the school visit, I had to read him the riot act aka Ashokan Rock Edict No 14 (I think) which demands that subjects should not only respect the religion of others, but to encourage practitioners of other religions to maintain their observances.My next oldest son, at 14, has done a one day kids course in anapana meditation and now thinks it is as boring as the proberbial ... He's too busy being a hormone-driven young man spending vast amounts of his sparetime on facebook and MSN talking to friends.My 20-year-old daughter, Freya, is in second-year at Monash Faculty of Medicine. After a lecture by the ex-chair of VicHealth, she became very interested in attending a ten-day course. As much from an interest in the therapeutic benefits of meditation as well as being in more control of her life. But with fulltime study and part-time work at a blood bank, she's put it on hold for the time being (so she tells me!)My wife is not a Buddhist but you wouldn't know it. She'll wear a Buddhist amulet and mala, she's included Buddhist concepts in presentations on Wellbeing and she certainly supports my practice and Quinn's interest in the Dhamma. Kylie's even pmed a few people here via my account regarding aspects of psychological or developmental issues of children. I've even toyed with setting up an account for her but I think she's more interested in participating in a horse-related discussion board than discussing the Dhamma!

So yes, at a shove I could get my family to join and pip the post, but the hollow victory wouldn't be the same as the pleasure of your company!Metta

Ben

“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.” - Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:in mountain clefts and chasms,loud gush the streamlets,but great rivers flow silently.- Sutta Nipata 3.725

Dhammanando wrote:Photographic proof to follow shortly. As soon as Nathan can figure out the workings of his new camera....

Cool.. looking forward to it Bhante.

Ben wrote:It sounds like a challenge! Retro, Chris and Zavk - pack your bags and book a flight to Launceston!

For sure, I'm up for the challenge!

I am, in fact, making plans to visit Ben in Launceston, and also the other DhammaWheelers in Australia/NZ: Retro, Chris, Mike, Dan, and Nadi. If all goes well, I should be catching up with them around August or so. When this happens can I then lay claim to a new record for having met the most Dhamma Wheel members face-to-face?

Ben: Quinn sounds like a real rascal, and I mean this as a compliment. In my view, such rascal behaviour suggests to me that he has a very sharp mind! I was.. ahem... quite a rascal myself when I was little....

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion … ...He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.John Stuart Mill

Chris has also met fijinut (many times). Or fijinut has also met Chris (many times) Does that count as multiples?

Is this a "skilfull means" attempt by Ajahn to get us all to bring more people we know onto Dhamma Wheel? - or to visit each other and post the proof?

mettaChris

---The trouble is that you think you have time------Worry is the Interest, paid in advance, on a debt you may never owe------It's not what happens to you in life that is important ~ it's what you do with it ---

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion … ...He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.John Stuart Mill

Hi all.Yes it was a real pleasure to meet everyone and the pictures look very good. No problems with the camera whatsoever. However I have spent most of my time since I've been here, stuck in Bangkok, trying to get my email working and failing that to get a phone working. After many near sleepless nights, long days in the summer city heat, and expending nearly all of my money I am no closer to either. So, I suppose this is not a vote in favor of the telecom industry and business sectors in Bangkok in general. I dearly need a break from both the city and the technology so if I can get the photos to someone or online somehow I will but don't hold your breath. I think I am going to spend the last couple of days reading about the ordination procedures, studying the Vinaya and maybe a little Thai as well.

On May sixth I take the train to Chiang Mai where I will knock on doors until I can find somewhere to just sit and meditate for a month or so. Maybe things will work better after that. So, sorry about that but, as they say, dukkha happens.

Thanks Nathan for the update.The 30-day retreat sounds like a good idea.Take care

Ben

“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.” - Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:in mountain clefts and chasms,loud gush the streamlets,but great rivers flow silently.- Sutta Nipata 3.725

nathan wrote:On May sixth I take the train to Chiang Mai where I will knock on doors until I can find somewhere to just sit and meditate for a month or so. Maybe things will work better after that. So, sorry about that but, as they say, dukkha happens.

Nathan, do you need help with your phone? AIS 1-2 call seems to have the best coverage in Thailand. Yes I do. Thank you for asking.Setting up an email account, and getting it working is hardly difficult.Well actually it can in fact be exceptionally difficult, as when you buy an iPhone in a country where Apple doesn't actually do business and there is no such thing as a guarantee or fair return policies for faulty goods. Apparently all of the iPhones in Bangkok fell off of the back of a truck in Shanghai or some such thing. After spending over 30,000 baht on the problem the phone doesn't do anything but display the crapple logo [logo for the hacker software that actually runs iPhones in Thailand].gmail.com will let you set one up in under 3 minutes, depending on how fast you type in your details. (and you can import contacts from elsewhere)

Then you can check your email on your mobile by calling AIS on *138 or *139 (cant remember which, but its free) and requesting a GPRS internet package

for 20 hours (costs you 107 Baht) or (50 hours for 200 baht) and they will automatically deduct the money from your phone credit. If you want you can also

call their call centre (1175) if you don't want to follow the automatic instruction route. They have an English service.

After that, you can use the internet for 20/50 hours throughout the month, and get more hours if you run out by calling AIS.

To get email on your mobile, AIS will also send you the settings you need if you haven't already got them.Thank you. Yes, I have three AIS sim cards and about 600 baht worth of time cards. No actual functional cell phone however. Can you suggest where I can buy a cell phone that works for less than 1,000 baht?thanks for the helpbe wellnathanLet me know if you need help or pm me.

I arrived at the rendevous late on Saturday as I first attended the regular saturday meeting with Sujin Boriharnawanket and a group of farang.It was most pleasant to meet with new friends dmytro and Nathan, and to listen to the wise venerable Dhammanando again. Fascinating to hear that Nathan spent over a decade living by himself in some part of Cananda so remote that there were more bears that people..I think that background should be helpful for the holy life. And Dmytro is the Ukrainian delegate for an International Buddhost conference happening here in bangkok.

Last edited by robertk on Mon May 04, 2009 3:44 am, edited 1 time in total.